Therapeutic shower and method of using the shower for weight reduction

ABSTRACT

A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction includes a water heater for heating water at relatively low pressure and a mechanism for spraying the heated water at a relatively low pressure onto a majority of a human body. The mechanism also includes multiple arrays of generally horizontally disposed openings at multiple levels and wherein the water is directed upwardly at an angle of between about 40° to about 60° from horizontal whereby the droplets fall onto portions of the human body. The assembly also includes a valve for stopping the spray of heated water and a heater for directing drying air at a temperature of about 35° to 45° to thereby dry the body.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a therapeutic shower assembly and a method forweight reduction using such showers several times a day and moreparticularly to a therapeutic shower assembly for subjecting a humanbody to relatively low pressure heated droplets of water over a majorityof the body for a preselected period of time several times a day to meltfat cells and increase circulation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Full body showers and therapeutic shower systems are known and have beenin use for a number of years. For example, an early shower structure isdisclosed in a Ejchorszt U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,252. As disclosed animproved shower structure that may be used as a replacement for aconventional shower head or installed initially as an integral part of abathroom, the shower structure permits the user to selectively direct auniform spray of heated water over a desired portion of the body and isparticularly adapted for the use of a woman and elderly persons who maynow take a shower without getting their hair and head wet. Further, theshower structure is adapted for being formed as an integral part of awall structure to direct a spray of water over the trunk portions of auser.

A full body shower is disclosed in a Davison U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,969.The Davison patent discloses a full body shower system having threegenerally horizontal water dispensing portions and two generallyvertical closed portions connecting the horizontal portions. The maximumnumber of water spray apertures in the system is sixty. The aperturesare located in the horizontal water dispensing portions at angles withrespect to the horizontal to direct water in a predetermined pattern.

Finally, a Brunelle et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,504 discloses atherapeutic shower enclosure wherein a top wall assembly converts ashower enclosure into a therapeutic shower enclosure. The top wallassembly has an air blower in communication with one ore more air returnorifices in the top wall. An air distribution channel is incommunication with the air blower and at least one air injecting orificeis provided in the top wall and communicates with the enclosure. Aheater is provided in the air distribution channel for heating convectedair therein to a temperature of up to about 75° C. to provide a streamof hot dry air circulating in the enclosure about a person's bodystanding therein. This causes the person's body to transpire and providea therapeutic effect of shedding toxins through the skin. In combinationwith the hot dry treatment there is available chromotherapeutic andluminotherapeutic light treatment and an ion and ozone generator toinject ions and ozone into the hot dry air stream.

Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a needand a potential commercial market for a therapeutic shower assembly ordevice and for an improved method for losing weight associated with theimproved shower assembly according to the invention. There should be aneed and a potential commercial market for the improved shower assemblybecause it provides an additional approach to weight reduction withoutthe use of pills and/or exercises that may be overly stressful for someindividuals. Further, the therapeutic shower assembly in accordance withthe present invention is rugged, easy to use and can be manufactured andsold at a reasonable cost.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In essence, the present invention contemplates a therapeutic showerassembly for weight reduction that comprises or consists of means forproviding heated water under relatively low pressure and means fordirecting a spray of heated water upwardly at relatively low pressureonto a majority of a human body. The means for directing a spray ofwater onto a majority of a human body includes multiple arrays ofgenerally horizontally disposed openings disposed at multiple levels andadapted to direct a spray of water in a slightly elevated manner as forexample, at an angle of about 30 to 45 degrees from horizontal. Theshower assembly also includes means for stopping the spray of heatedwater and means for drying the human body. The drying means may includea blower for directing heated air around the human body and/or a seriesof infrared lamps to heat the air directed onto the human body tosurround the body with heated air.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the therapeutic showerassembly provides a source of water and a water heater for raising thetemperature of the water to a temperature of about 25° C. to 30° C. (77°F. to 86° F.). A one-half horse power water pump and means for directinga spray at relatively low pressure including a plurality of droplets ofwater onto the person's body. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, a plurality preferably ten generally horizontal sections ofone-half inch diameter pipe are connected together in a serpentinearrangement by nine generally vertical pipes and wherein the pipes areconnected to the water pump and the ten horizontal sections include atotal of about 100 slightly upwardly directed apertures and wherein eachaperture has a diameter of about 0.12 inches for spraying droplets ofheated water onto a majority of the human body. A heater for directingheated air onto the human body to dry the human body include a pluralityof vents that direct heated air to various parts of the body.

A second embodiment of the invention relates to a method for reducingthe weight of a human individual. The method includes the step ofproviding a therapeutic shower including a water heater for supplying amass of heated water at a temperature of about 25° C. to about 30° C.and a one-half horse power water pump. Ten generally horizontal sectionsof about one-half inch diameter pipe are connected together by ninegenerally vertical sections of pipe in a serpentine configurationwherein the generally horizontal sections include a total of about 100slightly upwardly directed apertures each with an opening of about 0.12inches for spraying heated water droplets on a majority of the humanbody. In the preferred form, the droplets are sprayed upwardly at anangle of about 30 degrees to about 45 degrees and up to about 60 degreeswith the horizontal sections vertically separated from one another.

Spraying a majority of a the human body with heated water droplets for aperiod of about two and one-half minutes to five minutes three times aday is believed to be effective in reducing weight. In addition, heatersare provided for directing heated air onto the human body and drying thehuman body. Finally, a moisturizing lotion is applied to the human bodyafter each treatment.

The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanyingfigures wherein like reference numerals are used to designate likeparts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shower enclosure in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a serpentine water distributor inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration showing the pathway of water dropletsas distributed in the preferred embodiment of the invention; and,

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for weight reduction inaccordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and more specifically to FIG. 1, there isshown generally at 10 a therapeutic shower enclosure of the presentinvention. The enclosure comprises a bottom and a first wall 12, twosidewalls 14, a top 13, and a door 14 permitting access to by individualinto the enclosure 10.

A molded shell 16 is secured over the top 13 of the enclosure and hasmolded therein distribution channels 17 which are connected to an airblower 18, and ducts 19 to provide an air stream that is convecteddownwardly in to the enclosure and in the direction of an individual.The hot air is then dispersed through vents 13′ in the molded top. Inthis way, the user is subjected to a hot dry air stream to undergotherapeutic effects as will be described herein below.

It is also contemplated that in place of a hot dry air stream, infraredlights can be disposed in an upper portion of the enclosure 10 to drythe individual. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the idealzone for therapeutic heat treatment during the drying provides atemperature of between 31° C. and about 35° C. (88° F. to about 95° F.)at which temperature a human individual can accept the heat treatmentfor approximately 20 minutes. It is in this zone that we obtain sometherapeutic effects and the physiological reaction to heat. For peoplewho have exercised they will appreciate a range which is more elevated,for example, 35° C. to 40° C. Also after a person has acclimated to thetherapeutic shower enclosure they can gradually increase the temperaturerange. It should be recognized that the temperature of air in theenclosure should be approximately 40° C. (104° F.) and the speed of theair on the user's body should not exceed about 0.2 m/s. It has beenrecognized that for temperatures of 38° C. at one hour of exposure, aperson can develop a heat stroke. At 46° C. the temperature of the skinwill be high enough to start exposing burn rashes. The more tolerantperson can exceed 50 minutes at 52° C. In a sauna one can attaintemperatures as high as 85° C. but a person should not be subjected tothose for long periods of time and it is recommended that the periodshould be between 5 to 15 minutes maximum.

The invention also contemplates a method for weight reduction thatcomprises or consists of the following steps. A first step 40 provides atherapeutic shower enclosure having a first wall and a water outletextending outwardly from an upper portion of a first wall. The enclosurealso includes a bottom or a base with a drain therein, two side walls,and a door forming a fourth wall and a molded top including a pluralityof downwardly directed channels or passageways for directing a flow ofheated air onto an individual. The air is heated to a temperaturebetween 30° C. to 35° C. to dry an individual.

A second step 42 provides a water supply and heater for heating a massof water to a temperature of about 25° C. to 30° C., a one-halfhorsepower water pump and a serpentine array of nozzles arranged in tenrows of horizontally disposed upwardly directed openings that form anupwardly directed stream of water that are directed upwardly at an angleof about 30° to about 60° from horizontal. The horizontal disposedopenings i.e. row are connected together by nine vertically disposed ½″tubular pipes or passages.

In a third step 44 a majority of an individual's body is subjected to awall of hot water openings at relatively low pressure for a period of 2½to 5 minutes. In step 46 the water treatment is followed by subjectingthe individual to a flow of heated air at a temperature of about 35° C.to about 40° C. (104° F.) for a period of about 5 minutes.

When an individual's body is dry, a moisturizing lotion or cream isapplied to the body in step 48 to avoid drying out the skin.

While the invention has been described in connection with its preferredembodiments it should be recognized that changes and modifications maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A therapeutic shower assembly for weightreduction, said assembly comprising: means for providing heated waterunder relatively low pressure and means for directing a spray of heatedwater at a relatively low pressure onto a majority of a human's body andwhereas said means for directing a spray of water onto a majority of ahuman's body includes multiple arrays of generally horizontally disposedopenings disposed at multiple levels and directed upwardly fromhorizontal by about 30° to 60°; means for stopping said spray of heatedwater; and means for drying the human body by blowing heated air at atemperature of between about 30 to about 35° C. onto the individual'sbody.
 2. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction according toclaim 1 which includes ten generally horizontal pipes connected togetherin a serpentine arrangement by nine generally vertical pipes and whereineach of said generally horizontal pipes includes a plurality of slightlyupwardly directed apertures to produce a sprinkling mass of dropletsonto the human body.
 3. A therapeutic shower assembly for weightreduction according to claim 2 in which the lowest generally horizontalpipe is about one foot above the floor of a shower enclosure and whereinsaid horizontal pipes are vertically spaced by between about six inchesto about one foot.
 4. A therapeutic shower assembly for weight reductionaccording to claim 3 in which the size of apertures and water pressureprovide a slightly upwardly arched shaped stream of heated waterdroplets wherein said droplets impact the human body with a force of afalling droplet from a height of about ten to twenty inches.
 5. Atherapeutic shower assembly for weight reduction according to claim 4 inwhich said serpentine pipe has a length of about 16 feet and a diameterof about one-half inch.
 6. A therapeutic shower assembly for weightreduction according to claim 5 that includes about 100 apertures eachwith a diameter of about 0.12 inches.
 7. A therapeutic shower assemblyfor weight reduction of an overweight individual, said assemblyconsisting of: a source of water, a water heater for raising thetemperature of the water to a temperature of about 25° C. to 30° C. anda one-half HP water pump; ten generally horizontal sections of one-halfinch diameter pipe connected together in a serpentine arrangement bynine generally vertical pipes and wherein said pipes are connectedtogether and to said water pump and said ten horizontal sections includea total of about 100 slightly upwardly directed apertures and whereineach aperture has a diameter of about 0.12 inches for spraying waterdroplets of heated water onto a majority of a human body; and a heaterfor directing heated air onto the human body to dry a human body afterthe water spray is stopped.
 8. A therapeutic shower assembly for weightreduction of an overweight individual according to claim 7 whichincludes a timer for timing a session of water treatment to about 2½ to5 minutes and a session of drying of about 10 to 20 minutes at atemperature of about 35° C.
 9. A method for reducing the weight of ahuman individual consisting of the steps of: providing a therapeuticshower including a water heater for supplying a mass of heated water ata temperature of about 25° to about 30° C. and a one-half horsepowerwater pump, ten generally horizontal sections of about one-half inchdiameter pipe connected together by nine generally vertical sections ofpipe in a serpentine configuration and wherein said generally horizontalsections include a total of about 100 slightly upwardly directedapertures each with an opening of about 0.12 inches for spraying heatedwater droplets onto a majority of a human body; spraying the entirehuman body excluding their head with heated water droplets for a periodof about 2½ minutes to 5 minutes three times a day; providing a heaterfor directing heated air at a temperature of about 35° C. to about 40°C. onto the human body for drying the human body; and applying amoisturizing lotion to the dry human body after each treatment.